…you can see at the new British Museum exhibition. As reviews go, the latest write-ups on the British Museum’s blockbuster exhibition haven’t been great.
Mark Hudson in the Daily Telegraph described the ‘baffling absences’ of star pieces from the museum’s own collections, suggesting that the ‘sociology of Vikingdom is well-served but not the visual culture.’ Jonathan Jones in the Guardian felt like he’d been ‘thrown straight into some thorny problems of archaeology… I felt like crying. Where were the swords?’ The Times followed suite with Rachel Campbell Jones’ point that she ‘felt like you need to be a detective to get the most out of this Nordic noir drama.’
Meanwhile, our own roving Viking correspondent (i.e. he’s a Viking, who’s also a correspondent) said ‘you’d have to be an archaeological philistine, or at least a Chief Art Critic, to roll up to an exhibition like this and decry the lack of shiny stuff.’ So as a public service to correct this waffle, here are 15 of our favourite finds (in addition to THE star find – Roskilde 6), that you can see in the new Vikings exhibition.
Did we miss your favourite find? Let us know in the comments box below…
1. Lewis Chessmen…
the berserkers, carved from Walrus ivory, these date to the late 12th century, and were found on Uig, Lewis, Scotland. © The Trustees of the British Museum.
2. Ear spoon…
with filigree terminal and suspension ring, 10th century. From Gedehaven, southwest Zealand, Denmark. © The National Museum of Denmark.
3. The Hiddensee Hoard…
comprising fourteen filigree pendants, spacers, brooch and neck-ring, probably made in Denmark in the late 10th century. From Neuendorf/Hiddensee, Rügen, Germany. © Jutta Grudziecki, Kulturhistorisches Museum der Hansestadt Stralsund.
4. A copper alloy pin…
with dragon’s head (16.2cm in length) dating to AD 950 – 1000, from Hedeby in modern Germany. © Wikinger Museum Haithabu.
5. The Vale of York hoard…
North Yorkshire, dating to AD 900s, comprising silver-gilt, gold, silver. © The Trustees of the British Museum.
6. Silver Penny…
of Anlaf Guthfrithsson of Northumbria (939–41). © The Trustees of the British Museum.
7. Silver-inlaid Iron/Brass axehead…
in the Mammen style, dating to AD 900s. from Bjerringhøj, Mammen, Jutland, Denmark. © The National Museum of Denmark.
8. Iron Staff…
from Gävle, Sweden, measuring 44.37cm. © The National Museum of Denmark.
9. Odin or völva figure…
(Silver with niello) dating to AD 800-1050, from Lejre, Zealand, Denmark.. © Ole Malling.
10. Gold Neck-ring…
dating to the 10th century AD, from Kalmergården, Tissø, Zealand, Denmark. © The National Museum of Denmark.
11. The Hunterston Brooch…
(12.2cm in diameter) a gold, silver and amber object dating to approximately AD 700, from Hunterston, Ayrshire, Scotland. © National Museums Scotland.
12. Copper alloy Brooch…
shaped like a ship, dating to AD 800-1050, from Tjørnehøj II, Fyn, Denmark. Copper alloy. © The National Museum of Denmark.
13. The Valkyrie brooch…
a silver object dating to the 9th century AD, from Galgebakken, Vrejlev, Vendsyssel, Denmark. © The National Museum of Denmark.
14. Platter…
a wooden tray or platter with Scandinavian decoration, dating to the 10th century AD, from Berlin-Spandu, Berlin, Germany. © Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.
15. Viking Sword…
late 8th–early 9th century AD from Kalundborg or Holbæk, Zealand, Denmark. © The National Museum of Denmark.
Want more Vikings? Check out ‘Friday Five… The Worst Vikings Ever’ …or our own review of Vikings – Life and Legend
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Written by Brendon Wilkins
As Founder and Co-CEO of DigVentures, Brendon brings together two decades of commercial archaeology experience with his expertise in digital innovation for archaeological fieldwork, public participation, and social impact evaluation. With a consistent research and publication record, his PhD (‘Digging the Crowd: the future of archaeology in the digital and collaborative economy’) explores new business and social impact models that position citizen science as a response to economic and climatic challenges facing humanity. Brendon steers the ship of DV’s fieldwork, evaluation and ‘Deep Time’, our crowdscience platform training citizens to search Earth Observation Data for cultural and natural heritage. Brendon’s signature laugh lights up every room, especially when he sneaks onto the turntables for a cheeky DJ set!
Comments (5)
In all the recent BM special exhibitions – not just Vikings but from Pompeii onwards – the signage, or captions describing the exhibits, is very poorly presented. It is all at waist height in relatively small print, which means people stop in front of it to read it which makes progress through the exhibition very slow. It they repeat it at or just above head height, then those behind the visitors struggling to read the waist level captions would not have to join a slow queue to discover what the case contained.
It has been suggested the BM do this deliberately in order to ensure that more audio guides are hired – how cynical!
I think you will find, and its the same for card reader mounting heights in lifts, that the signs are placed so that they can be read by people in wheelchairs. Not saying the signs shouldn’t be duplicated at normal eye level, but the wheel-chair requirement is a common reason for things in buildings being mounted at the “wrong” height.
Fair comment Iain. I remember Pompeii especially – the bedroom section with the, ahem, explicit imagery, was virtually impossible to get through due to the speed of people traffic. Don’t know what the cynics would make of that…
How cool! I love the Vikings, and their mythology, like, so much!!!!!!!!!!!!
Asiya-Horse